New Faculty Orientation

From WolfWikis

FAQ for New Faculty at NC State

Questions about Raleigh/RTP

• What's the difference between the "triad" and the "triangle"?
  

  The Piedmont Triad is the area centered around the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. The Research Triangle is the area anchored by the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
  
  

• Explain the Inner and Outer Beltline.
  

  I-440 is also known as the Raleigh Beltline. The Inner Beltline runs clockwise around Raleigh, while the Outer Beltline runs counter-clockwise. If someone wanted to drive the shortest route from NC State to North Raleigh, he/she would take the Inner Beltline and head North and East. If someone wanted to get from NC State onto I-40 heading East, he/she would take the Outer Beltline heading South. For more information on Interstate 440, see the relevant Wikipedia article.
  
  

• Where are good places for lunch (around Dan Allen Parking Deck)?
  

  Fountain Dining Hall is located south of the Dan Allen Deck at 2520 Sullivan Drive. There is also a Subway restaurant near the intersection of Dan Allen Drive and Hillsborough Street. There are also a couple of restaurants just West of Dan Allen Drive on Hillsborough Street.
  
  

• What are the best places for:
  

  Indian food - Royal India, 3901 Capital Boulevard

  Thai food - Sawasdee Thai, 3601 Capital Boulevard (Citysearch Best Thai Food 2006)

  Sushi - Mura Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar 4121 Main at North Hills Ste. 110 (Citysearch Best Sushi 2006)

  Italian food - Bella Monica Italian Restaurant, 3121 Edwards Mill Road Ste. 103 (Citysearch Best Italian Food 2007)

  Breakfast - Carolina Cafe & Bakery, 401 Daniels Street (Citysearch Best Breakfast 2007)

  BBQ - Ole Time Barbecue, 6309 Hillsborough Street (Citysearch: 4.5 stars from 28 reviews)

  Vegetarian food - The Irregardless Cafe, 901 W. Morgan Street (Independent Magazine, Spectator Magazine, Citysearch Best Vegetarian Restaurant)

  Seafood - Frazier's Restaurant, 2418 Hillsborough Street (Citysearch Best Seafood 2006)

These are, of course, subject to your personal judgement.

• Is there a Knotts Shoes in Raleigh?

  According to Yellowpages.com, there doesn't appear to be one in Raleigh.

Questions about Working at NC State

• When do we get an ID card? How?

  For information about the AllCampus Card, contact 515-3090, or go to the West Dunn building.

• When is our first paycheck?

  You should be able to find that out at the New Employee Orientation. Paychecks are granted on the last business day of the month.

• When can we choose our health and retirement plans?

  You should get this information at the New Employee Orientation. To find out more about , go to the Selecting Your Benefits Package page.

• What is the best venue to meet other young single faculty?

• How do I get faculty tickets for NC State Football?

  NC State Football tickets are sold out for 2007. Promotional information will typically be provided through the faculty or staff member’s department. For more information regarding faculty and staff ticketing options, please contact the NC State Athletic Ticket office at 1-800-310-PACK or 919-865-1510. You can purchase tickets at GoPack.com.

• The faculty access link for season sports tickets does not work (at least last year), how do I at least get on the list for football or basketball tickets?

  See the answer to the above question. As of 8/3/07, men’s basketball season tickets are now available online to Wolfpack Club members and NC State faculty and staff. Paper applications will be sent to those groups soon.

• How do I set an "away" (or vacation) message on my email?

  There is a KnowledgeBase on campus for many technology questions like this. You can access it at help.ncsu.edu. The particular solution for this question can be found here.

• Do faculty get a new computer? Can we choose a laptop rather than a desktop computer?

  I believe this is handled per department.

• What do I need to do to get a study room in the library?

  Faculty members at N.C. State may apply for the use of a single or shared research study room, assigned on a semester basis. These studies are located on floors two through nine of the bookstacks tower. The application can be found at the Faculty Research Studies page.

Questions about Teaching at NC State

• What type of teacher training/educational resources does FCTL provide?

• What do students expect in terms of workload? How much reading? How much writing? How many exams? What exam format?

• How do you say no to students who want you to serve on their grad committees (when it's not clear you belong or if you do not think it will work out well)?

• I'm scheduled to teach in Daniels. However, the room assigned has no computer or projector which I need for my class. Is there a way that we can solve this problem?

• Is there a university-wide evaluation system (for courses or performance)? Or is it specific to departments?

• Who forms part of the mentoring committee?

Questions about Research at NC State

• Are there internal research grants?

• Where do I find assistance developing pricing for a grant using learning technologies (i.e., gaming, animation, etc.)? This is a current need.

Questions about Service, Extension, and Engagement

• What counts as service (e.g., does community service count)?

• Are there university-wide connections to the community (service or partnerships, etc.)?

• How do you say no to requests for service, especially when asked in from of other faculty (at a faculty meeting)?

• As a new assistant professor with no experience with extension, how do we define it in hard and finite concrete terms?

• What qualifies as "extension" (for RPT)?

Miscellaneous

• What is the best and closest beach?

  According to Google Maps, Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, NC, is 131 miles from Raleigh.